Stuck in the 'Vator With You
by NoLeafClover
Summary: While helping Nace move out of the ACME dormitory, Deric gets stuck in an elevator with Ivy after an earthquake knocks out the power. Also trapped with the two detectives is Rey Carlyle, the very pregnant wife of visiting Chief Inspector Anthony Carlyle.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I do not own WOEICS or any of its characters. I do own Deric Storm, Jayson Steadman, and Alberto Rodriguez. Nace Bilby, and the Carlyle family are on loan from SoulReaver. Sections in italics usually denote flashbacks…._**

**Chapter 1: Moving Day**

"So, what'd you think of the place?" Deric asked as he and Nace were walking down the corridor leading towards ACME's dormitories. The two had just returned from Deric's apartment building, where Nace was able to take a look at the apartment he would eventually move in to and meet the landlord. The building was about a twenty minute drive from ACME HQ and ten minutes from the nearest beach. In and of itself, the apartment was a great situation. It had a full kitchen, dining area, and even a living room area. Each bedroom even had its own master bedroom, which beat sharing a bathroom with twenty or so other men on the floor of the dormitory. There was even a washer and dryer by the front door. It was more than Nace could have ever anticipated.

"It's incredible," Nace said, as they made the left towards the area where Nace's room currently was, "plus it seems I won't need to buy much in furniture." Both chuckled at that. Deric's last roommate had worked for a credit card company and had recently been transferred to the company's Barcelona office after helping close a big deal with the NBA. The transfer also came with a substantial living expense allowance, so he had left most of his bedroom furniture behind. "Your landlord also seems like a nice bloke."

"Oh, that's nothing," Deric smirked, "just wait until you fully move in. His wife usually makes a home-cooked meal for new tenants, as a way to welcome them to the building." As they approached Nace's room, both noticed that the front door was opened. Nace had locked the door before they left this morning.

Both peered in to see if anything was missing. To their surprise, there was a woman sitting on Nace's bed with her back towards them. Even from their position, they could easily see the swell of the woman's abdomen, indicating pregnancy. A slight groan from the door's hinges alerted the woman to their presence. Once she turned around, it was clear to both detectives who the woman was. Deric could clearly see the similarities between his partner and this woman; Nace knew his sister on sight.

"Rey!" Nace yelped, trying to embrace his elder sister, which turned out to be difficult due to her pregnancy, "What are you doing here? I figured you'd be in London preparing for the birth." Nace helped Rey back to a sitting position on the bed.

"Well, Anthony was going to be in town to meet with the Chief," Rey said, "and I figured I'd visit my little brother. Besides, I'm not due for at least another two weeks." Looking over at Deric, who was still standing in the doorway, trying to give the siblings their space, she said, "I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm going to guess that you are Detective Storm." She then flashed her brother a look which sent Nace scrambling to his feet.

"Sorry," he apologized to his sister, "Rey, this is my partner and soon-to-be roommate, Deric Storm. Deric, this is my sister, Rey Carlyle."

"It's nice to finally meet you ma'am," Deric shook Rey's hand so she wouldn't have to get up from her current position. "You brother's told me so much about you."

"Likewise, Deric," Rey replied, "and it's 'Rey,' not 'ma'am.' 'Ma'am' makes me feel old. You can save the ma'ams for my husband." The trio laughed at that, until another chimed in.

"Do what 'for your husband' now, luv?" Deric and Nace looked towards the source of the voice. Standing in the doorway, now, was Chief Inspector Anthony Carlyle. At roughly six foot tall, and about 34 years old, with mirthful green eyes beneath a mop of curly brown hair, showing some gray around the temples, he had a very calming presence. Both detectives could understand why he was on the short list to replace the Chief when the time eventually came. Carlyle gave his wife a peck on the lips as he sat down next to her.

"I was telling my brother's partner here," she gestured at Deric, to save the ma'am's for you and not for me." Anthony began to chuckle at the statement.

"What?" Rey asked, visibly confused.

"Well, luv," Carlyle answered, "if he called me ma'am, we'd have to have a few words." Looking at Deric, Anthony put two and two together. "So, you must be the **_great_** Deric Storm?" Deric nodded and shook the inspector's hand. Lounging next to his wife, he said, "Well, you two sure have made quite a name for yourselves. I actually heard about you in the meeting I just came from."

"Really?" Nace asked, "What did the Chief have to say about us?"

"Not just the Chief," Deric and Nace flashed an unsure look to each other and then to Carlyle, "Colonel Reinhardt also had a few choice things to say as well." The looks between the two detectives grew darker. The commanding officer of CrimeNET had, noticeably, had it in for them for almost two weeks now, due to the fact that Nace and Deric had stood up to Reinhardt's top lickspittle, Jayson Steadman, and his group of bullies. There had been three major confrontations between the two factions, the events of which had obviously been embellished by Steadman in his retellings.

"What did the old tyrant say **this** time?" Deric asked, running his hands through his hair in exasperation. The last time the Chief had called them in, Nace sat there dumbstruck and Deric snorted back laughter in regards to the claims.

"Just that you two tried to cripple his top soldier. This time, it was Nace that burst out laughing.

"If Jayson Steadman is CrimeNET's best soldier, than they're screwed." Nace commented.

"That's pretty much what the Chief said," Tony responded, "So let me hear your side of the story. You know the Chief's going to want to." So, the two explained the tale…

_About three days ago, Deric and Nace were heading into the gym to get a quick workout in (i.e. escape paperwork). Upon entering the gym, they noticed a crowd around the sparring ring. Immediately sensing trouble, they headed over towards where a commotion was obviously occurring. Once closer, they could see two ACME trainees, in ill-fitting sparring gear, being humiliated by three older CrimeNET trainees while a crowd of CrimeNET trainees and soldiers looked on and cheered. There were even a few ACME trainees, probably the friends of the two in the ring, looking on in horror._

"_Aren't those two in your self-defense class?" Nace asked. He got his answer as Deric muscled his way through the crowd. Nace was only a few steps behind when they entered the ring. They grabbed the three older trainees and flung them across the ring._

_The two ACME trainees looked up, faces red from crying and being hit, and saw who had helped them. Deric was crouching in front of them and asked, "Are you two okay?" They nodded, and Deric then said, "Get outta here and get looked at." He then gave them a sad smile. "I'll see you two at class later." The trainees got out of the ring as fast as they could. _

"_What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Nace yelled at the three trainees remaining in the ring._

"_Teaching them how to defend themselves, because they're **obviously** not learning it in their self-defense class," was the snide answer delivered by Jason Steadman, "It's not our fault they're **weak**."_

"_Weak!" Deric was quickly becoming incensed, "They're two 14-year olds going up against **three** 16 or 17-year olds, you sick bastard." He was leaning against the ropes, staring directly at Steadman. "What happens if they get hurt?"_

_Steadman just shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe you need to train them better." His cronies started chuckling and patting him on the back. There were even a few chuckles amongst the crowd around the ring._

"_Bullshit," Deric swore. "Maybe you should stop sending foot soldiers and do your own goddamn dirty work." Deric sat on the second rope and held the top rope open with his shoulder, blatantly inviting Jayson into the ring. Steadman flashed him an "are you kidding" look._

"_I believe you Americans call it 'put up or shut up,' Jayson." Nace said, standing next to his friend. "It's your move…" The crowd's eyes were fixed now on the CrimeNET soldier, who stood up and took a step towards the ring, before turning and heading towards the exit._

"_Forget it, Storm," He said over his shoulder. "You're nowhere near my league." Nace, like much of the crowd, was in shock._

_Deric, on the other hand, took a chance. "Don't worry about it, Nace. What do you expect from a **Texas** boy?" Steadman stopped in his tracks. '_Gotcha, sucker._' Deric thought before he continued. "I mean, we all know only two things come out of Texas… I don't see any horns on his head, do you Nace?"Nace shook his head, wondering where his partner was going with this. "So, we know Jayson's not a steer; at least a steer will gore you from the front. Note to self…" Deric started, pretending to write something down, "never bend over in front of Steadman." There were a few chuckles from most of the remaining ACME contingent. Deric decided to step it up. "Oh… wait, wait… I get it now," Deric said, in a playful tone, "you don't want to fight me because I'm older than fifteen. It's so clear to me now…" Deric ticked off the list, "You're from Texas, you're not a steer, and you like kids." Deric looked ahead and shuddered. "That's a little creepy," Deric said, eliciting laughter from both sides of the crowd now, "but if that's how you roll, then I can't judge." Even Nace was laughing at this point. Jayson, seething with anger, stormed into the ring._

"Hold on a tick," Anthony said, red-faced from holding back laughter, "You _actually_ said that? Why?"

"Crowd wanted a fight, and so did I." Deric said, shoulders shrugged. "Seemed like a good way to go about it. Then they continued the story…

_Getting right up into Deric's face, Jayson said, "You want a fight so badly, farmboy?"_

_The grin on Deric's face turned malicious, "You're goddamn right I do, cowboy…" Steadman backed into a corner as the crowd cheered. Deric backed into the opposite corner. Nace took the opportunity to get out of the ring._

_Once Nace was out of the ring, he yelled out "Ready…" Both men nodded and took up fighting positions. "Fight!"_

_Jayson burst out of his corner swinging. His main goal was to beat Deric Storm to a bloody pulp. Deric just put a guard up as Steadman just hammered away on the sides of his arms. Standing outside the ring, Nace was wondering if his partner's confidence had finally bitten him in the ass when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Looking back, Nace finally saw a friendly, and familiar, face in the crowd in the form of Zack._

"_Hey Great White Hunter," Zack said, using his nickname for Nace, "I should have known I'd find you up here." He motioned to Deric in the ring. "Please tell me Deric didn't start this…" _

"_Nope," came a response from another figure that also appeared from the mass of humanity. It was Cpl. Alberto Ramirez, one of the few CrimeNET soldiers that Nace and Deric were friendly with. "Jayson threw the first punch. In fact, I don't think Deric's thrown a single punch yet."_

"_Whew…" Zack breathed a sigh of relief, "at least he can't get suspended now."_

"_Suspended? What do you mean?" Ramirez asked. Nace and Zack informed him of a memo from the Chief to all ACME detectives stating that any detective who started a fight with any member of CrimeNET would immediately be given a two-week suspension. Supposedly, Colonel Reinhardt gave a similar directive to CrimeNET._

"_This is the first I'm hearing about this." Alberto admitted, "The Colonel's never said anything about any suspensions, but it explains a lot." Zack had a shocked look on his face._

_Meanwhile, in the ring, Deric had still not thrown a punch or kick. In fact, he had seemingly been on the defensive for the entire fight. Steadman had thrown just about every kick and punch combination he knew of, but Storm still didn't fight back. "What's the matter coward?" he asked Storm while still throwing, "You can talk a good game, but can't back it up?" Deric said nothing, but just continued to block Jayson's attacks and smile that cocky smile. Furious, Steadman stepped up his attacks to try and get some past the farm-boy's defense._

"_Is he nuts?" Zack asked Nace. _

_Alberto chimed in, "If he doesn't go on the offensive, Jayson's going to pound him." They each had a point. Even though he was a blowhard and a bully, Jayson Steadman was no pushover. He was the reigning men's ACME Open-Weight Martial Arts champion. His skills were considerable, even for a trained soldier._

_Nace, however, was confident in his future roommate's abilities. '_Bloody hell…_' he thought as he saw how, even on the defensive for the whole fight, Deric had taken very little damage, 'I know what he's up to,' Nace realized. "Trust me," Nace smiled a knowing smile, "Deric's got a plan. This fight is going to end very soon." He then outlined what he figured Deric's plan to be. The best way to defeat your enemy, he had heard Deric tell his self-defense classes, is to have your enemy defeat himself. By first, goading Steadman into the fight with that little speech, and secondly, not throwing a single punch, Deric was making Steadman fight entirely out of anger. This made Jayson swing wildly, therefore wasting all his energy, while Deric conserved his by staying on defense. Both Zack and Alberto could see that Steadman was now just throwing sloppy haymakers. Nace could also see Deric setting up for the strike that would end the fight. "Watch Deric's feet," Nace pointed out to Zack. Deric's left foot was just slightly in front of his right, just like a boxer's. "Deric's going to drop his right arm somewhat from his face, then the right foot's going to move back a little bit more, and almost make an 'L' with the left foot. Then… Wham! Deric's right foot will be upside Jayson's skull." Zack gave him a look of disbelief. _

_It turns out that Nace was prophetic. About a minute after Nace told them what Deric's plan was, Deric saw the opening in Steadman's guard that he expected. '_Night night…_' Deric thought as he moved slightly from a defensive stance to a forward stance. After circling for about thirty more seconds, Deric planted with his left foot, and uncoiled a vicious right roundhouse kick. It connected flush with Steadman's head, knocking him out cold before he hit the mat. There was a stunned silence for a few seconds, before a cheer broke out from the few ACME spectators in the crowd. Three of Steadman's crew entered the ring to tend to their fallen leader. Deric lounged in the corner, while they removed Steadman from the ring._

_Once that was settled, Deric exited the ring and met up with Nace, Zack and Ramirez. The latter two still had somewhat of a stunned look on their faces. Zack was the one who broke the silence._

"_Dude…" Zack said, still trying to fathom what he just saw, "that was freakin' awesome." Zack bumped fists with Deric as a sign of respect._

"_How the **hell** did you do that?" Alberto asked, still in disbelief._

"_It's called 'nine plus years of Muay Thai,' Berto." Deric explained, with a smile. "Plus, having a nearly five inch reach advantage helps."_

"_Okay, I'll buy that." Ramirez acquiesced. "You know that may have just made things worse though, right?"_

"_Maybe." Deric shrugged. "When he wakes up, though, Berto, give him a message from me: If he comes near my students again…" Deric let the threat hang in the air. After this, CrimeNET would be looking at him a little differently. The fight over, the crowd dispersed back to their daily routines._

"So, technically," Nace said, "Deric didn't throw the first punch, so he can't be suspended."

"That's basically what the Chief said." Carlyle said, "plus Zack already gave a written statement to the Chief corroborating what you two just said. I would try to be on your best behavior for the next few weeks, though." Looking around at all the boxes, which took up the majority of the room, Carlyle mused, "What's the deal with all the boxes? You're not quitting ACME, are you Nace?"

"Deric's roommate got transferred, so he offered the empty room to me." Nace answered, "We just returned from the apartment so I could sign the lease ad see the place. It's actually very nice. A short drive from ACME and also the beach. We were going to start moving some of this stuff when we saw that Rey was in the room, and the rest you already know."

"Well, as much as I hate to talk and run," Carlyle said, with a snort from Rey, "I have another meeting with the Chief, so I'll let you boys get back to work. Good day, gentlemen." Carlyle rose and kissed his wife on the cheek before heading out the door.

"Well," Rey said, after a minute or two, "you heard the man… Get to work." She said playfully. The boys groaned as they got up to start gathering up boxes to take to Deric's truck. After loading it up, Deric gave Nace his keys to take the truck to the building where the landlord's sons were waiting to help with the boxes.

Taking a break from packing boxes into his truck, Deric decided to grab a quick bite to eat. Grabbing a roast beef sandwich and a bottle of water, he plopped down into a seat at a table with Zack, Josha, Tatyanna, and Cpl. Alberto Ramirez. Zack and Alberto were explaining the details of the fight between Deric and Jayson to Tatyanna, who been in Helsinki at an ACME training seminar for the past week and a half.

"Rough workout?" Josha asked, seeing how Deric was visibly sweaty and a little red-faced.

"Nah," Deric said between bites of his sandwich, "Just helpin' Bilby move out of the dorms, and needed something to eat."

"So, he decided to take the empty room in your apartment?" Zack asked. Deric nodded, as he finished the last of his sandwich.

Josha asked how the move was going. "It would be better if Nace didn't have so much stuff. We have my truck filed to the brim already and there's still a bunch of boxes left." The rest of the table laughed.

After taking a sip of water, Deric said, "By the way," he pointed at Zack, "I appreciate you filling out something about the fight. You probably saved mine and Nace's asses doing that."

"No big deal." Zack said as he bumped fists with Deric. "How'd you find out about that?" he asked.

"Chief Inspector Carlyle told me." The table seemed confused. "The inspector's currently pregnant wife is Nace's older sister and she was hanging out with me and Nace. The inspector comes in and tells us of the meeting with him and the Chief and how Reinhardt came bursting in and wanted out heads. Carlyle asked us for our side after he told us what Jayson had told the Colonel. We told him what happened and he told us that Zack had corroborated the story."

"How are your students, by the way?" Ramirez asked. Deric explained how he had to have a conversation with his group of trainees, about defending themselves against a group, even if it meant fighting dirty. He talked about how he had to spend the entire classes stressing how to attack soft tissue areas, such as the eyes, knees, neck, and groin.

"I was going to teach them that soon, but circumstances kinda put a kibosh on that." Deric spat, eyeing a group of CrimeNET trainees staring at him. Looking at Alberto, he asked, "Berto, I know you're both in CrimeNET, but how can put up with that asshole?" Ramirez just shrugged in response. Shifting his gaze to Zack, he started, "And…"

"Let me guess," Tatyanna interjected, her Russian accent slightly coloring her speech, "what does Ivy see in him in order to date him?" Deric nodded fervently. "Actually, around Ivy, he's very nice. Ivy seems to have a good effect around him. In fact, I believe Jayson's taking Ivy to this fancy Italian restaurant downtown."

"Sorrento's?" Josha asked. Tatyanna nodded in response. "He must have gotten caught then," Josha mused. Everyone looked at him in bewilderment, save for Alberto. "I'm guessing Ivy caught Jayson flirting with Becky in Payroll. This must be the way he's trying to make up for it."

"Nope, that's not the reason." Alberto said.

"Then, why is he taking her to Sorrento's?" Zack asked, "Last time I checked, that place wasn't cheap."

"What's today's date?" Alberto asked.

"August 23rd." Josha answered.

"He's trying to put the moves on Ivy. Jayson figures that if he gets her drunk on enough wine, Ivy'll sleep with him." Deric and Zack did a spit-take, sending water and iced tea in different directions. Tatyanna sat there, jaw slacked. Josha's eyes widened in shock and anger. "He made a bet with some of the guys that he could get Ivy to sleep with him by Labor Day." Now, Zack had the angry look on his face.

"That **_bastard_**," Zack seethed, standing up suddenly. "I'll kick the hell out of him."

"Ivy's got to be told." Josha said.

"Yeah, but who?" Deric asked, "She knows that the three of us," he gestured to Zack and Josha, "despise Steadman. Alberto's in CrimeNET, so if he tells, Jayson and his thugs will beat the hell out of him." Everyone at the table glanced at Tatyanna, who flashed a 'who, me?' look. Zack gave her a pleading look, which broke her down.

"Alright, I'll do it." Tatyanna acquiesced. There was an audible sigh of relief from the rest of the table. "I'm sure I'll run into Ivy this afternoon, so I'll talk to her then."

"Cool," Deric said as he finished off his bottle of water. "Well kiddies," Deric stood up and picked up his tray, "as much as I hate to eat and run, I've got a date with a boat load of boxes." The others said their farewells and finished the rest of their own meals.

The rest of the afternoon was spent finishing up with the boxes. Deric couldn't help but think back on what he had learned at lunch. '_As much as a pain in the ass she and I are to each other,_' he thought while stacking the rest of the boxes onto a dolly Nace had gotten from the dorms, '_Ivy doesn't deserve what Steadman is doing to her._' As he put the last box onto the dolly, Rey stepped back into the room.

"Is that the last one?" she asked, looking around to see if there were any other boxes in sight. Deric nodded and pushed the dolly out into the hall and headed down the corridor towards the elevator to the parking garage. "Where's my brother?" Rey asked as they were heading down the hall. The plan was that once Nace was moved into the apartment, Rey was going to take the three of them out to dinner. Anthony would have joined them, but a sudden meeting was being called to discuss possible methods to use to capture Carmen Sandiego, including ACME sanctioned additions to security systems on most international landmarks.

"Hopefully finishing up loading the boxes he brought down with him." Deric said with a tired smile, looking forward to being finished with all these damn boxes.

"Yeah," Rey said, offering a smile in sympathy. "By the way," she said after a moment, "I want to thank you again for offering Nace somewhere to really call home, while he's working for ACME. I can't thank you enough for it. Also, how has he been out in the field? Nace says that you two seem to really compliment each other."

Deric paused to think about that for a moment. "Well, there's no one else I'd rather have watching my back than Nace." he said after pondering. "Plus, we never have a boring case." Deric said with a grin, causing both to laugh.

As they reached the elevator, they were joined by Ivy, apparently on her way out for the evening. Deric wondered if Tatyanna had been able to talk to her. She looked absolutely stunning. Her hair was pinned up with a few loose strands framing her face. What surprised Deric most of all was the dress she was wearing; it looked like a designer piece which fit her perfectly. '_Great googly-moogly_' he thought, leaning on the dolly, '_that bomber jacket and those khaki pants hide a **lot**._' "Ivy…" Deric muttered in greeting.

"Deric." Ivy muttered in return, the disdain noticeable. Glancing at Rey, she said, "I'm sorry, we haven't met. I'm Ivy Darren." She shook the pregnant woman's hand.

"Rey Carlyle," Rey responded. "I think we may have met in passing a few years ago, in London." Ivy looked like she was trying to see if she remembered meeting Rey.

"Rey is the wife of Chief Inspector Carlyle," Deric interjected. Ivy scowled at him in response, to which Deric just threw a weak smile. "You look very nice tonight, Ivy," Deric complimented, trying to change the subject. "Are you heading somewhere?"

"Thank you." Ivy said, graciously, "And, if you must know, I'm meeting Jayson at a fancy Italian restaurant. We would have gone sooner," Deric rolled his eyes, knowing where this was going, "if you didn't put him in the infirmary with a concussion." Deric took a deep breath and exhaled, releasing any potential hostility.

When the elevator arrived, all three stepped on and selected their destination. As the doors were closing, Deric looked at Ivy and asked, "By any chance, did Tatyanna talk to you this afternoon?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Shake, Rattle, & Roll**

The elevator chimed as the doors closed, to signal its steady descent to the underground parking garage. After that Ivy turned her head towards Deric. "What was that?" she asked.

"Simple question," Deric said, looking straight ahead, "did you happen to talk to Tatyanna this afternoon?" With Rey in the car, he was trying to avoid any conflict with Ivy right now.

"No," Ivy answered, somewhat confused. "She was summoned to Minsk on an emergency assignment, I think." Al Loy had tried to steal a set of Faberge eggs from the Minsk Museum of Art, and Tatyanna had friends in the police force there, so she was sent to facilitate an easier extradition. "Why?" Ivy asked.

'_Crap._' Deric thought as he put the back of his head against the elevator wall in frustration. With Tatyanna called away suddenly, she obviously wouldn't be able to inform Ivy of what they learned at lunch. "Well, Ivy," Deric said, with a sigh, "There's something you have to know…" Before Deric could complete his statement, the elevator jerked violently and everything began to shake. All three headed to a corner to try and keep their balance. The noises coming outside the elevator could be described as horrific, screeching, and bloodcurdling. Once the noises thankfully stopped, the car went pitch-black for about ten to fifteen seconds before the red emergency lights activated.

"Great googly-moogly…" Deric swore, visibly shaken in the red light, "What the **hell** was that?" Deric was frantically looking around the elevator car.

"I think," Ivy said, looking around, "that was a small earthquake."

"You call **that** _small_?" Deric freaked out.

"First quake?" Ivy asked, setting herself down on the floor. Both Deric and Rey nodded as they did the same.

"I come from the prairie, sweetheart." Deric said, bringing his knees in to his chest, "Nothing but flat land for miles, thousands of miles from any earthquakes."

"So," Rey said, breaking the rising tension, "how long do you think it's going to be before we start moving again?" As if on cue, Deric's cell-phone went off. On the other end of the line was Nace, asking where they were. Deric apprised him of the situation and inquired about how long it would be before they were rescued. Upon hearing the answer, Deric groaned and hung up the phone.

"Power's still out in some areas of ACME, so it may be an hour or so before they can get to us." Deric said, resting his head against the wall. The others groaned in response.

"Great," Ivy muttered, aggravated, "Once again, I'm missing a dinner with Jayson…" Deric muttered a remark under his breath. "What was that?" she snapped, focusing her anger on Deric. He responded that he it was nothing, which Ivy didn't buy.

"I said that God's probably trying to send you a message." Deric said, meeting Ivy's gaze.

"What exactly does _that_ mean?" Ivy challenged eyes ablaze. Pointing at him, she said, "If it wasn't for you, I would have had this dinner a week ago."

"You should thank me." Deric said with a small smirk on his face.

"Thanks to you, he suffered a serious concussion."

"He had it coming." Deric stated coolly.

"And another thing, what do you have against Jayson anyway?" She received a look that asked if she was joking. "I'm serious…"

"So am I…" Deric said, eyes hardening, "Jayson Steadman is a pompous, conceited, bully. He enjoys nothing but terrorizing ACME gumshoes and trainees with his group of brownnoses." Ivy had a look of disbelief on her face. "And apparently, we're hamstrung to fight back because of the threat of suspension."

"They have the same consequences, if they start a skirmish," Ivy countered.

"Not according to Alberto Ramirez," Deric answered.

"I haven't heard about Jayson being involved in anything besides the fight he says **_you_** started." Deric just started laughing at that comment. "What's so funny?"

"I can't believe you are that **dense** when it comes to him." Deric was starting to get frustrated. "Haven't you noticed how our trainees are walking around the halls in fear? They are afraid of being harassed, as they constantly are, by CrimeNET trainees _and_ soldiers. Nace and I aren't afraid to stand up for them, but we can't do it alone…" Deric paused, with a strange look on his face, "And I kind of blame you…"

"How do you figure that?" Ivy asked, dumbfounded.

"You're **_the_** face of ACME." Deric pointed out, "Our trainees idolize you. All of my male trainees joined ACME for a chance to work with you, and the girls were inspired by you growing up. When they see you dating the figurehead of CrimeNET, and they're being harassed by CrimeNET personnel, they feel they're boxed into a corner," Deric was starting to seethe. "I don't know if Jayson told you everything about what happened last week." He retold the account that he gave to the Carlyles earlier. "After that fight, I had to talk two of my trainees out of quitting ACME. And I'm not the only one." Deric put up three fingers, "Manny, Tatyanna, and **your brother** have all had twelve kids quit because of your _boyfriend_ and his CrimeNET goons." Deric had a fire in his eyes that matched Ivy's now. We're trying, but we can't do it alone. **We** **need** **_YOU_**!" Ivy seemed to ponder that.

"That doesn't sound like Jayson." Ivy offered, noticeably half-heartedly. "He doesn't act like that when we're together. I've actually seen him defend an ACME trainee from an older CrimeNET trainee…"

"I don't believe it," Deric growled in anger. "Jayson Steadman is playing you like a cheap fiddle. He runs the CrimeNET trainees and soldiers. When we first got on this elevator, I asked you if Tatyanna had spoken to you. The reason I asked was that we found out that Jayson isn't dating you because of your sparkling personality."

"You're about to cross a dangerous line, Storm," Ivy warned.

Deric, however, was already going on. "I don't care," he said, in all sincerity, "you need to hear this. I was eating lunch with Josha, Zack, Tatyanna, and Cpl. Ramirez, and the topic of you and Jayson came up in conversation. Josha talked of how he caught Jayson flirting with Becky in Payroll. When we talked about how Jayson was taking you to Sorrento's as an apology, Alberto told us that Jayson had made a bet saying that he could get you to sleep with him by Labor Day." Ivy gave Deric a look that could have burned a hole in the wall behind him, and the wall in the chute outside the elevator. Realizing that she wasn't buying it, Deric resigned himself to the fact that Jayson was going to take advantage of Ivy, and she would end up heartbroken. "Believe me or not, it's your life, your choice." Deric said, with a sigh, "Just think about it."

Ivy just stared at Deric from where she was sitting. Looking at his eyes, she saw neither anger, glee nor arrogance; in fact, his eyes seemed almost **_sad_**. '_From what I can tell, he's telling the truth,_' she thought, '_but what does he have to gain from telling me this? Could it just be he hates Jayson that much or have I really been that **naïve**?_' "Why are you telling me this?" she asked.

'_Good question,_' he thought. '_Why **are** you telling her?_' Why did he care, though? It wasn't like he and Ivy were friendly with each other. The obvious reason could have been his disdain of Jayson Steadman, but that wasn't it. Looking over at Ivy, who was trying to get comfy in her form-fitting dress, Deric suddenly flashed back to his thoughts when they got on the elevator. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Deric tried to get that line of thinking out of his brain. "Despite what you may believe, I don't want to see you get your heart broken," Deric said in a low murmur, "I- We all care about you." The slip of the tongue was caught by both women in the car. Rey shot him an inquiring look. Deric was thankful for the red emergency lighting, which was hiding his blush. '_What do you know, Freud was right._' Deric quoted one of his favorite movies. "But, like I said, it's your call. I just think that you can do better than Jayson Steadman."

"Whatever…" Ivy said absentmindedly. She pulled her knees to her chin and stared at the floor in deep thought.

Deric could see that he had struck a nerve, and felt bad for it. "Hey, Ivy…" he said softly, "this hostility between us…" she looked up at him, "could we just bury it and start over? I know we got off on the wrong foot a few months ago, but I was still kinda in undercover mode."

"Fine." Ivy exhaled. Reaching out with her hand, she said, "Ivy Darren."

"Deric Storm," Deric shook her hand. The tension in the elevator seemed to dissipate with that handshake. "So… what now? 'Twenty questions'?" Deric asked.

"Okay," Ivy answered. "Tell me a little about yourself… where are you from?"

"Well, I was born in New York, but I spent most of my life in Nebraska. All I have to do now is move to Hawaii, and I can say I've been across the United States." Rey laughed at that, and Ivy smiled. Deric took a quick look at Rey, and asked if she was all right.

"I'm fine, just a little uncomfortable," Rey answered. "I'll feel better once we're off this damned lift."

"Okay," Deric said, keeping a watch on Rey out of the corner of his eye. Looking at Ivy, he said, "Okay, my turn." He quickly thought of a question, "What about you, who else is there besides you and Zack?"

"Well, I have an older sister, Victoria," Ivy answered. "She's currently working in some big public relations firm in Los Angeles. She's the golden child of the family." Deric and Rey looked shocked at the venom in Ivy's voice at that last statement. "My parents both work in communications. My mom is an exec with Pacific Bell and dad is a consultant for the IT departments of eleven hospitals between here and L.A." She said that with a slight tremble, indicating the fact that she didn't see her parents a great deal. "Finally, my grandmother Azalea lives with us. She always says Zack and I remind her of herself when she was younger." Ivy laughed sadly at that. Family was a sore spot for her. "What about you? What's your family like?"

"My dad was a history professor at Hofstra University and mom was a paralegal." Deric said, looking down at his shoes.

"Oh," Ivy said, "are they retired?"

"Nope…" Deric answered, a tear starting to form, "that's part of the reason I moved to Nebraska. My parents died when I was around eight." Both women gasped in shock.

"My god," Rey asked, obviously thinking about the child in her womb and the thought about not being there to see him or her grow up, "What happened?"

"Dad was diagnosed leukemia August of 1989. Chemo worked… for a while," Deric stared straight ahead, as if reliving the event. "Imagine being six and watching your hero die a little each day, right before your eyes. He passed on June eighteenth, 1990. Mom was killed nearly a year later in a car accident." Deric sniffled, trying to hold back the tears. "June third, 1991. It had been raining for nearly ten days straight. She was working a short day, so she could see me in the second grade play at my school. I remember being in Mrs. Carr's math class when Mrs. O'Donnell, the principal, comes in and pulls me out of class. There was a policeman waiting in her office. They sat me down and told me how my mom had been driving on the Southern State Parkway when she was cut off by a high school senior speeding home from his last day of finals. She crashed into the side of an overpass at about sixty miles an hour; died on impact." Deric said, while, from Ivy's view, it looked like he was rubbing his left wrist. "After the funeral, I was sent to live with my grandparents in Nebraska. I lived there until I went away to college. My grandparents did everything they could to give me a normal childhood. Without them, I seriously don't think I'd be here right now." The tears freely flowed now.

"I'm so sorry." Ivy said, trying to be comforting. She couldn't even imagine growing up without her parents around.

"Why?" Deric asked, with a weak smile. "Everything that happened to me has made me a better person. It's not like I grew up without a family. My grandparents are awesome. My youngest uncle is a doctor at the local hospital. Plus, the whole family always gathered on the farm for just about every major holiday." He smiled a little brighter now. "Now that the sob story of the week is over, let's get back to the game. What's the wildest, craziest thing you've done that hasn't been case-related?"

"Not case-related…" Ivy repeated, thinking. "It seemed crazy at the time…" Deric made a motion indicating that she should speak up. "It was about two years ago." Ivy began, "I wasn't working for ACME at the time…" Deric had heard that Ivy went AWOL for a few months after Zack had been injured while apprehending Lee Jordan. "I was walking by a tattoo shop in Seattle and… I walked in and got a tattoo." Deric's eyes just about bugged out of his skull.

"What? Where?" Deric stammered.

"A butterfly right above my left hip," Ivy pointed at her midriff. "I wanted something small and where I could cover it up if need be," she said, indicating the tattoo of a shamrock in the colors of the Irish flag on Deric's left shoulder.

"Oh, that?" Deric pointed at the tattoo, "That's nothing. Check this out." Deric stood up, and took off his shirt before showing them his back. Stretching from shoulder to shoulder was an detailed tattoo of a white wing, like that of an angel, and a black wing, like that of a dragon, the two connected by a yin-yang symbol below where the neck met the shoulders. The tips of the outstretched wings ended at the shoulders. "Got it my freshman year at Notre Dame. Took three six-hour sessions to finish."

"Does it mean anything?" Rey asked, wincing at how much it must have hurt to get that done.

"The priest at my family's church would always tell us to never let our minor devil shout down our greater angel," Deric said with a smile. "I like to think of it as a show of the balance in all of us between the angel and demon parts of our nature."

"So, **that's** gotta be the craziest thing you've done." Ivy commented.

Deric shook his head. "Nope, that happened a few months later." He had a mischievous look on his face. "The trouble of living in a suite with three other guys is sharing a bathroom. My roommate Adam heard me singing in the bathroom one day and he signs me up for a campus-wide karaoke contest. Then, the three of them drag me to this thing saying it'll be a good laugh. And most of these people were **horrible**… I mean they _sucked!_ We're laughing our asses off, and then all of a sudden I get called up. I look around confused, and my roomies are grinning from ear-to-ear. They start pushing me up there and people are starting to clap. I didn't even know what song they picked until I got up there."

"What song was it?" Ivy asked, trying to picture the scene in her head.

"'Real Good Man' by Tim McGraw," Deric said, smiling awkwardly. "Thankfully, I knew the words so I didn't do that bad. Apparently, I sing better out of my shower than I do in it."

"Did you win?" Deric shook his head no.

"One of the contestants was in the sorority sponsoring the event and all her sisters voted for her. I finished second in the contest, but I got three phone numbers from the sorority." Deric smirked.

"Okay," Ivy said, rolling her eyes. "My turn; what do you do for fun outside of work?"

"I bartend part-time at this little place near my apartment," Deric began, "I spend time at the beach or I play chess with a group of guys in the park."

"By the fountain?" Rey asked. Deric nodded, wondering how she knew. "Anthony and I came here a few years ago and we went to the park to sightsee and we saw a group of people playing chess at some small tables by the fountain. Which of them do you usually play?"

Deric chuckled. "This is going to sound like the beginning of a joke. I play with a priest, a rabbi, and an old man… Interesting guys, though. The priest has a wicked sense of humor and the rabbi is fond of sleight of hand tricks." Deric then turned the question back onto Ivy. "What about you? What does ACME's golden girl do on her days off?"

"Like you, I spend time at the beach." Ivy answered, "I like to hang out with my roommate and do normal stuff, like shop, and just hang out. Also, I like to spend time with Jayson, but we'll leave it at that." Now it was her turn again to think up a question. "What's a talent you have that none of your friends know about? I learned how to read tarot cards and actually had a business for a while when I was AWOL."

Deric leaned his head back to think about that. "Well, I guess the fact I can sing and play piano is a secret talent. I like to make up songs on the fly."

"Sing for us, then." Rey requested.

Deric thought for a moment, and then began to slap his knees in a rhythm, "Well I know how I got here tonight. Everything was shaking in sight. I'm so scared I might pull out my hair, and I'm wondering how I'll get out of here. Doors to the left of me, Ivy to the right, here I am, Stuck in the 'vator with you." Everyone in the car laughed at the ridiculous lyrics. Rey suddenly looked pained. "You all right, Rey?" Deric asked.

"Fine, just the baby moving a little." Rey smiled very weakly, straining to get comfy. "Now, it's my turn to ask a question. What would you two be doing if you weren't working here at ACME right now?"

The thought of that idea hit the two detectives like a ton of bricks. Deric answered first. "I would probably be going to grad school right now, going for my masters in education. I always loved history, that's what I got my bachelor's in. Guess it was from spending time in my dad's office and loving the Indiana Jones movies. Once that happened, I guess I'd probably go into teaching, maybe back in Nebraska, so I could stay at home."

Ivy seemed a little depressed. "I don't know... I've been around ACME since I was a little kid. I guess I always thought I'd..." She was cut off by a sudden scream of pain by Rey. "What's wrong?"

"We need to get out of this elevator **_NOW!_**" Rey strained. Both could see a puddle form by where she was sitting. Her water had just broken; the baby was coming...


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Ivy & Zack are owned by DIC. Anthony, Rey, & baby Carlyle are owned by SoulReaver. Deric Storm, Dr. Quentin "Ducky" Mallard & Jayson Steadman are mine, all mine HAHAHAHA!!!!! (receives strange looks) Um… anyway, on with the show.

**Chapter 3: And Baby Makes Four…**

"Oh, great googly-moogly." Deric swore. "The baby's coming?"

"No, I just sprung a leak." Rey snapped as a contraction set in, "Of course the baby's coming, you bloody idiot." Deric ripped open one of the boxes he brought, which contained Nace's linens and bath towels. Handing them to Ivy, Deric reached into his pocket for his cell phone, and dialed Nace's number. Thankfully, Deric still was able to get a signal.

"Nace, it's Deric," Deric said into the phone. "Listen, we've got a bit of a problem here."

"We're doing what we can to get you out of the lift," Nace answered. "Maintenance doesn't know if the quake knocked the lift off its tracks. Plus, they're still trying to restore power to vital areas, such as the infirmary and the C-5. They also need power to access the tracks. So, you and Rey just hang tight and we'll get you out as soon as humanly possible."

'_He's not getting it…_' Deric thought. "Ivy's in here as well," Deric interjected, "and the **elevator** isn't the problem."Out of the corner of his eye, Deric saw Ivy helping Rey the elevator floor while Rey was currently going through breathing exercises she learned in Lamaze classes. "Also, you may want to find your brother-in-law."

"He's on his way to the security center. It's one of the few places that still have power. Why?" Nace answered before stopping in his tracks, realizing where Deric was heading with this conversation. "Deric Storm, what is _**wrong**_ with my sister?"

"Her water just broke." Nace broke into a dead sprint down the corridor. He was gasping for breath once he reached the security center. Inspector Carlyle was overseeing the process of regaining video in most of the elevators.

"Nace," Zack, who was at a console with some technicians and trainees trying to reprogram the computer, said, "what's wrong?"

"S-s-sister… el-el-elevator… b-b-baby…" Nace gasped, trying to draw in much-needed oxygen.

"Whoa, slow down there Nace." Anthony said, "Take a deep breath and start over." He handed Nace a chair, so he could sit down and compose himself.

"I-I-I got a call from Deric." Nace said, composing himself, "He's trapped in an elevator with Ivy and Rey." Nace was still taking deep breaths.

"Oh good lord," Carlyle swore, "As long as they're staying calm, they should be fine. We're going to get to them as quickly as we can."

"We have a slight problem though, Anthony." Nace interjected, "Deric said Rey's water broke…" Carlyle's eyes just about bugged out of his skull.

"The baby…" Anthony said absentmindedly. Staring straight ahead, he said, "We need to find them NOW!!!"

Zack, who was still working on the computer, said, "Just gimme a few more… Got it!" The monitors at the security center came alive with the images from the security cameras, even the ones in the elevator. "They're in the middle elevator, east dorm wing." Zack told a technician who was relaying the information to someone in the maintenance department.

"How long before we can get them out of there?" Nace asked, looking at the image of Ivy supporting his sister, while Deric was rummaging through one of the boxes, pulling out towels and the like.

"It's still going to take an hour to get the power back to that part of the complex." The technician helping Zack at the desk answered after hanging up the phone. "Plus, maintenance doesn't know if the quake knocked the car off its tracks."

"And if it did?" Carlyle fixed the trainee with a menacing glare.

"It could take hours, Inspector."

"They're more than likely going to have to start the delivery in there," Zack said. "I don't know who's in the infirmary, but I'm sure they have _someone_ who could talk Deric and Ivy through it. I can probably tap into the emergency intercom in the elevator." Carlyle was nodding his head in agreement, formulating a plan.

"You," the inspector pointed at one of the trainees around the security consoles, "go to the infirmary, grab the nearest doctor and bring him here **NOW!!!**" The trainee ran as if his life depended on it. "Someone also call the fire department and an EMT." He ordered, sliding into the commanding tone of voice that served him well in London. "Detective Darren, I want that intercom _yesterday_." Zack dove into the wiring to try and find the right wires amongst the tangle of wires running in the security console. "And someone find me the head of building maintenance…"

Ten minutes later, the young trainee returned with Dr. Quentin Mallard, ACME's chief medical examiner and the head of the infirmary. Chief Inspector Carlyle was pouring over a blueprint with a man who could only be a member of the ACME maintenance department.

"Hello, Inspector," the doctor greeted, with just a hint of a British accent, "I've been told you have need of a doctor."

That's correct, doctor," Carlyle answered. "We have a pregnant woman trapped in an elevator with two detectives. According to the one of the detectives, the woman's water broke." The panic in Anthony's voice was barely noticeable.

"Let me guess, the woman is your wife," Mallard commented. Inspector Carlyle nodded. "Who are the detectives in there with her?"

"Detectives Storm and Darren."

"Storm as in 'Deric Storm'?" Quentin asked. Carlyle nodded with a sheepish smile; Deric's investigative style had landed him in the infirmary more than a few times apparently. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" Mallard wondered aloud, "Is there a way we can communicate with them?"

"Yeah, doc," Zack spoke, coming out from underneath the console he had been working at, "I was able to patch into the elevator's emergency intercom system. It's basically a transponder now. Anything they say, we'll be able to hear. Plus," Zack said, handing the intercom to Dr. Mallard, "it's ready to go. Just press the button to turn it on."

"Detectives," Quentin said, "It's Dr. Mallard. Can you hear me?" Deric and Ivy both looked up.

"Ducky?" Deric asked.

"Yes, Detective Storm."

Deric exhaled in relief. "Finally a break," he said to no one. "Hey Duck, we've got a little bit of a problem here. Inspector Carlyle's wife's water broke and we don't know when we're getting out of here."

"So I've been told." Deric could almost see the wry smile on the Brit's face. "I'm going to walk you through the procedure. Hopefully, the maintenance crew will be able to get you out of there before the baby is out." Ivy mouthed the word 'Ducky' as a question to Deric, who mouthed the word 'nickname' in response. "First, we'll have to get Mrs. Carlyle into the birthing position. Secondly, how long has it been since her water broke?"

"About a half-hour." Ivy answered.

"Okay, detective," Mallard began, "I need to know how far she's dilated."

"How do I do that?" Deric asked.

"You have to look at the cervix to check how far it is dilated," was the answer that came over the loudspeaker.

Suddenly, Deric put two and two together and the color completely drained from his features. "You want me to do _**WHAT**_?" he asked, incredulous.

"Detective," Quentin's voice crackled over the intercom, "we need to know how far she's dilated so we can determine how far along in the birthing process Mrs. Carlyle is in."

"Oh, please." Ivy chided, "It's not like you haven't seen it before."

Resigned to his fate, Deric sighed and looked under Rey's skirt. '_I don't know who's gonna kill me first, Nace or Inspector Carlyle…_' he thought as he observed the area. When he looked back up, he said aloud, "Well, I can honestly say I've never seen _**that**_ before." Deric had an almost shell-shocked look on his face, the color completely gone.

"Detective," Dr. Mallard interjected, "how far is she dilated?"

"About seven to nine centimeters," Deric answered, "but I didn't bring my ruler, so I don't know for sure." The look that Rey fixed him would have melted the elevator's wall, the concrete wall behind it, and the walls of the nearest two buildings.

"Did he _**really**_ just say **that**?" Carlyle asked Nace who, despite the situation, was trying to stifle a laugh. Even Quentin had a big smile on his face as he began to walk Deric and Ivy through the delivery process.

"It's how he relieves tension," Nace responded. Suddenly, the radio at Nace's hip buzzed to life. It was the head of maintenance. "A'llo?" Nace answered. The head of maintenance alerted Nace that power had been restored to the dorms and they were entering the shaft at that moment to examine the elevator to see if it was still on its tracks. "Anthony," he handed the radio to Carlyle, "Maintenance is in the shaft as we speak."

"Carlyle here," Anthony spoke into the radio.

"Inspector, we've reached the car your wife is in." Carlyle exhaled a huge sigh of relief at that.

"Thank God." Carlyle said, "So, what do you think the problem is?"

"It's more like _problems_, Inspector." Carlyle cursed quietly at the bad news. He was hoping for something quick, so they could get his wife out of that elevator and to a real hospital. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in Dr. Mallard talking Deric and Ivy through the procedure; Quentin was a very capable doctor. It was the fact that the potential for a mistake with two amateur obstetricians was higher than he liked that worried him. Plus, Deric Storm's knack for attracting trouble was also creeping in the back of his mind.

"What are they?" he asked over the radio, not happy.

"First off, three of the guide-rails are twisted. We have to cut them away, and that's going to take some time," the maintenance worker said, shining his flashlight over the damage. "Plus, the rail twisting snapped one of the guide-wheels off of the elevator, and popped another one off the track. We _can _fix it, it's just gonna take time."

"How long?" Anthony asked, dreading the answer.

"With any luck, about four hours." Carlyle wanted to throttle the man.

"Get started then." Carlyle ordered, trying to hide the frustration in his voice. "Have the paramedics located at both the floor they got on at and one at the parking garage level." He ordered one of the people in the room, "That way we can get her to a hospital as quickly as possible." The crack in his voice was evident. Needing to get out of the room, he looked to Mallard, who was giving instructions to Deric and Ivy. "Doctor Mallard," he spoke up, "I'm going to go get some water for the elevator. I'll be back in a few minutes." Mallard nodded and Carlyle left the room. Walking down the corridor for a minute, Carlyle saw that there was no one nearby. He propped himself up against the wall and let his body slide down to the floor. Pulling his knees to his chest, Carlyle let out some of the built up frustration out in the form of sobs. "Why did this have to happen _today_ of all days?" he asked to no one in particular. Getting that out of his system, Carlyle went to the commissary to get some water bottles for the elevator.

About two hours after Rey's water broke, "_I'm a survivor…I'm not gon give up… I'm not__gon stop… I'm gon work harder…_" suddenly played in the elevator amidst the sounds of hammering and cutting coming from above their heads. A faint blush formed on Ivy's face as she reached for her handbag, which obviously contained her now-ringing cell phone. Digging her phone out, Ivy answered before the call went to her voicemail; she had a good idea who it was.

"Hello," she said, trying to make sure the person didn't hang up.

"Ivy," Jayson Steadman said on the other end, "where are you? I've been waiting for almost two hours."

"Oh jeez, Jayson," Ivy responded, looking at her watch, "I'm sorry. I got stuck at ACME cuz of the quake. I'm in an elevator right now helping a pregnant woman deliver a baby with…" she looked right at Deric, "some new detective." Deric snorted back a laugh before refocusing on Rey's contractions and Ducky's instructions. "I don't know when I'm getting out of here, so how about a 'rain check' on dinner?"

"I don't know darlin'," Steadman said, a noticeable hint of anger in his voice, "I had a whole romantic evening set up for **tonight**…" This brought Ivy's thoughts back to what Deric had said a few hours ago… '_Jayson was taking you to Sorrento's_…_ made a bet saying that he could get you to sleep with him by Labor Day… it's __**your**__ life, __**your**__ choice… just think about it…_"

"I'll call you later, Jayson," Ivy said before hanging up the phone. She saw Deric, who was giving her a sympathetic look, and gave him a weak smile of thanks.

"I-I don't think I can do this…" Rey panted. It had been over five hours and she was spent. It seemed like this baby did not want to come out. All three of the people in the elevator were tired. Plus, the constant noise coming from outside the elevator didn't help, either.

"That's crap," Deric chided, with a grin on his face, "You're a Bilby… You're too stubborn to give up." Ivy squeezed her hand for moral support, and caressed her hair. "Now, come one, one more push."

"Anthony…" Rey requested after the latest push. Carlyle almost tore Dr. Mallard's hand off reaching for the intercom.

"I'm here, luv," he said, trying to comfort his wife. "You're doing great…" he said as Rey pushed again, pain visible on her features.

"That's easy for you to say, you wanker," Rey snapped through the pain. "_**You**_ don't have a **human being** coming out of your body," she said, squeezing Ivy's hand as another contraction washed over her. Ivy gritted her teeth to avoid crying out in pain. "If I had known that damn book would have led to this," she panted after a push, "_**I would have hit you over the head with the bloody thing, you sodding bastard…**_"

"It was a paperback, luv," Anthony answered, almost meekly. Deric couldn't hold back the laughter and it almost came right out of his nose, he snorted so hard. Big mistake…

"What the hell are **you** laughing at, farmboy?" Rey glared at Deric, who turned as white as a sheet. "Quit gawking and get this damned thing out of me."

"Yes, ma'am," Deric weakly muttered, looking to avoid further angering the pregnant woman.

"I swear, Ivy," Rey panted in between pushes, "men are completely and utterly u-u-u-u-useless. The only thing they're good for is continuing the species." Deric looked up and seemed like he was going to make some smartass comment in defense, but thought better of it after seeing the look of fury on Rey's face. "They're the only species on the planet that do most of the thinking with the smaller head. God, I'd love to hear a man's response to sex and childbirth when **he** has to carry and deliver a child."

"Not _**all**_ men are like that," Ivy responded, the tiniest bit of doubt evident in her voice.

"Oh, come now…" Rey grunted through another push. Panting for breath, she said, "The only 'ups and downs' in the relationship men care about take place between the sheets." Deric actually laughed at that despite the fact his half of the population was being verbally eviscerated. "I'm sure, even Deric, nice **jerk** that he is, thinks about sex most of the time."

"I think I'll plead the fifth on that." Deric said, raising an eyebrow at the accusation.

"Well then, Ivy, take your lovely Mr. Steadman," Rey said, straining against the contraction, "You wouldn't belie-e-eve…" she pushed one more time, "the horror stories I've heard about that man. I've heard from some of the detectives and trainees Anthony's sent over here that he's a bully and a bastard. Poor Jenny Penbrooke had to fight the man off with a stick almost. He always seems to be looking for the next conquest. I'd be careful with him if I were you."

Deric couldn't even bear to look up, but he could feel Ivy's spirit drop through the floor. "Ducky," Deric shouted over the commotion outside the elevator, "I think I can see the head."

"Alright, Rey…" Quentin said, straining to make his voice heard over the sounds of maintenance trying to get the three of them out of the situation they were in, "we just need one more big push." To the detectives, he said, "Deric, you're going to need a towel to catch the baby in and one of the water bottles to wash the amniotic fluid out of its mouth, so it can breathe. Plus, you'll need a string to wrap the umbilical cord."

Deric started wriggling his legs. Kicking one of his sneakers in Ivy's direction, he said, "Ivy, unlace my shoe. We…"

"Can use it to tie off the umbilical cord." Ivy finished the thought. Deric nodded as Ivy got to work unlacing the sneaker. As she was unlacing, the odor from his shoe fully hit Ivy. "Good lord," she said, turning her face away from the shoe, "what died in here?"

"I'd like to see how _your_ feet smell after moving boxes all day." Deric answered quickly. "Come on Rey, one more push and the baby's out." Deric had a towel cradled in his arms, waiting to receive its special cargo. "Push…" he ordered as Rey pushed with everything she had left. The screams of the pregnant woman were soon echoed by the tiny being that just emerged from its mother's body. Deric dabbed the infant's mouth with a moistened towel to clean off the remaining amniotic fluid surrounding its mouth.

In the control room, the tears were freely running from the eyes of both the new father and uncle. Anthony watched lovingly as his new child's umbilical cord was tied off by Ivy. "Congratulations, Inspector," came from Dr. Mallard, who received a crushing bearhug in response from the jubilant father. Turning back to the intercom, he said into it, "Nicely done detectives. So, do we have a little boy or girl?"

Looking at the child, Deric said out loud for both the mother and father to hear, "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Carlyle, you have a daughter." After gently wrapping the baby in the towel, Deric handed her to her mother. "She's beautiful, Rey."

Despite the exhaustion, Rey felt glorious. "Welcome, little one. I'm your mommy."

"Have you and Anthony thought of a name?" Ivy said, looking at the infant lovingly.

"We agreed if the baby was a boy, he'd be 'David'; 'Clementine' for a girl." Rey said as she was holding her finger near the baby's face as her tiny hand reached up to grab it. "What do you think, little one?" she asked the baby, "You like being called Clementine?"

As the baby cried again, the elevator jolted to life and began to climb upwards. "Well," Ivy cooed to the infant, "happy birthday Clementine. You'll get to see your daddy soon." When the elevator came to another stop, the hearts of the three stopped. The relief that spread across them was palpable when the doors opened to reveal paramedics, maintenance people, and various detectives. Deric stood up and pressed himself against the wall so as to give the paramedics enough room to work. Ivy slipped out behind the paramedics and into the hall. The paramedics loaded the new mother and her child onto a stretcher and wheeled her out of the elevator towards the main entrance, where the ambulance was located.

"Excuse me…Pardon me… LET ME THROUGH, DAMN IT!!!" Deric heard a voice amongst the crowd. He saw Anthony Carlyle emerge from the crowd to be at his wife's side as she was being wheeled away. Nace and Dr. Mallard were close behind. Both father and uncle huddled around Rey to catch a glimpse of their new daughter/niece. "God, Rey" Carlyle said, awestruck, "she's beautiful."

"Tony, Nace, I'd like to introduce you to Clementine Aurora Carlyle." Rey displayed Clementine to her father and uncle.

"Um, sir," one of the paramedics spoke up, "we really need to get your wife to the hospital." This snapped the two of them out of the haze they were in. "One of you can ride with us to the hospital."

Nace immediately spoke up, "Go with your wife and daughter, Anthony. I'll meet you at the hospital."

"Alright." Carlyle said, the stress of the whole day beginning to set in. Seeing Deric and Ivy at the entrance of the elevator, he walked over to them. "I can't thank you two enough." He hugged Ivy and extended his hand to Deric for a handshake.

"I'd shake, sir, but…" he motioned to the fluid covering his arms, shirt, and the front of his legs, "I'm kinda icky." Carlyle smiled and cuffed Deric on the shoulder. As the paramedics wheeled Rey out towards the lobby and the awaiting ambulance, the crowd began to thin out, leaving only Dr. Mallard, Nace, Deric and Ivy standing in front of the elevator.

"Deric," Dr. Mallard said with a broad grin on his face, "has there ever been a day where you _**haven't**_ caused a ruckus?" Nace joined the two of them in a chuckle.

"Yeah," Deric said. "It was a Thursday." Looking at his ruined clothes, he said, "Aw, man. I don't think I'm gonna be able to salvage these."

"Better you than me." Ivy remarked. "I spent almost a hundred bucks on this dress." Deric couldn't help but agree. Looking at her watch, she noticed it was nearly eleven-thirty. "Now, if you'll excuse me," she said, making her way past the three men, "I think I can possibly meet up with Jayson at the restaurant, if he hasn't left already. See you guys tomorrow…" She began to head towards the parking garage.

"Hey, Ivy," Deric called out as he jogged to catch up with her, "About what we discussed earlier…" Deric began, running his hand through the hair on the back of his head, mucking it up with the fluid he had on the front of his body. "If you ever want to talk, just give me a call. Here's my cell number." Deric began dictating his number to Ivy, who punched it into her phone. "Anytime, and I mean_** anytime,**_ you want to talk, I'll listen." he said with a sad smile.

"Thanks." Ivy responded as she continued on her way.

Deric's gaze followed her out the door. He had a feeling of dread enter his mind knowing that she was on the path to a major heartbreak. Deric was so concerned with Ivy, that he didn't notice Nace was talking to him.

"Deric…" Nace said, tapping him on the shoulder. "Did you hear me?"

"No, sorry..." Deric apologized. "It's been a long day. What did you say?"

"I said I'm going to meet Rey and Anthony at the hospital. Do you want to come with me?" Deric could see how antsy Nace was.

"I think I'm gonna shower first. You still have my keys right?" Nace nodded. "So go ahead. I'll meet you there." Nace took off jogging towards where Deric's truck was parked. Looking at Quentin, he asked, "Hey, Duck, do you mind givin' me a lift after I shower?"

"Not a problem." Quentin answered. "It seems I always have to help you with some sort of mess, don't I?"

"Seems like…" Deric chuckled. "Thanks, Duck. Gimme about thirty minutes."

"Alright." Mallard agreed. "You may want to use some antibacterial soap to get the amniotic fluid out of your pores."

Deric quickly showered and changed into some spare workout clothes he kept in his locker. Afterwards, he and Quentin went to the hospital to check on Rey and Clementine. Also, it allowed Deric to get his truck back from Nace, who wasn't leaving his sister's side anytime soon. All the while, though, Deric couldn't get his mind off of Ivy. '_Don't worry, Storm,_' he chided himself. '_She's a tough kid. I'm sure she'll be fine._'


	4. Epilogue

AN: Thanks to everyone who read this story. Hopefully next time, a few of you will actually **review**.

**Epilogue**

Ivy took her cell phone out of her purse and began to dial Jayson's phone. She was approaching Sorrento's, the restaurant where she was supposed to have met Jayson for dinner hours ago. There were very few cars in the parking lot, so Ivy knew that the place must have been almost empty at this hour. However, her hopes were lifted when she saw that Jayson's Mustang was amongst the cars remaining.

Ivy was about 100 feet from the entrance when the front doors opened, and out walked Jayson Steadman, arm-in-arm with a leggy blonde that she didn't recognize. Ivy ducked into an alleyway so as not to be seen by her cheating boyfriend. She finished dialing Jayson's number to see something.

One ring… two rings… three rings… "Hello?" Steadman answered, trying not to react to the blonde writhing against him.

"Hey, Jayson," Ivy said, trying to hide the pain in her voice. "We just got out of that damned elevator," she exaggerated, "Are you still at the restaurant? I can be there in, like, fifteen minutes if you still want a late dinner or something."

"Actually," Jayson said, getting to his car and reaching for his keys, "I left the restaurant about an hour and a half after I called you last, figuring you'd probably be stuck for a while." The lie came to him so easily that it hurt Ivy hearing it. "Maybe, you could swing by my place later for a nightcap or something?"

"You know, Jayson," Ivy said, tears beginning to brim, "I'm actually kinda fried after the whole day. Rain check?"

"No problem." Jayson said, dismissively. It didn't matter to him; one way or another, he **was** getting laid tonight.

"See you tomorrow." Ivy said, wanting to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

"I'll probably be in a little later in the afternoon, so I'll see." Ivy could tell by his voice what he was planning to do the rest of the night.

"Okay." Ivy almost croaked out before snapping her phone shut.

"Who was that?" Ivy could hear the bubbly voice coming from the leggy blonde. Ivy could tell she was probably some sweet little airhead that Jayson picked up in the restaurant's bar. The fact that Jayson would lie about it broke Ivy's heart somewhat. Jayson's response to the blonde's, however, took what was left of Ivy's heart and shattered it to a million pieces.

"No one, baby. Let's go." Jayson grabbed the blonde's face and almost gobbled it up in a kiss. After making out for almost a minute, they both entered the Mustang and sped out of the parking lot, probably towards Jayson's apartment.

Ivy composed herself somewhat and made her way back to her car. Getting in, she sat and stared out the windshield and thought about what had just happened. The last words she heard from Jayson echoed like a taunt, '_No one…_' she thought, '_I can't believe it… Deric was right._' She recalled the conversation in the elevator and her naïve reaction to it. The weight of the whole day plus what she just saw finally hit Ivy. The tears flowed, unchecked, down her face. She can't believe she thought that Steadman loved her; hell, she couldn't believe _**she**_ loved him. Unbidden, another talk with Deric came to her mind: "_Anytime, and I mean anytime, you want to talk, I'll listen… Here's my cell number._" Searching her contacts list, she found Deric's number and hit 'dial.'

One ring…two rings…three rings… '_Come on, Deric. Pick up._' She thought as she heard a fourth ring. She was about to hang up when she heard something on the phone.

"Hello," she heard a voice on the other end. Ivy was about to explain what she just saw when she heard, "_I'm not available at the moment. More than likely, my battery is dead. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks. Later…_" signaling that she had gotten Deric's voicemail. The tone signaling the speaker to begin their message went off. A few seconds passed without a word before Ivy snapped her phone shut, ending the call.

'_Anytime, huh?_' Ivy thought, before starting her car and heading back to her apartment.


End file.
